I’m not gonna’ lie. I spent most of last night’s 3-2 shootout loss to Chicago lamenting our system. Indeed, as I watched us attack the Blackhawks in wave after fruitless wave with nary a goal to show for our toil, I found myself wishing we could blow it all up and start fresh. Which stand-in coach Todd Reirden sorta’ did when he finally (finally) juggled the line combinations with some effect in the third period.
To digress, the Pens dominated across the board in stats. We held a sizeable edge in shot attempts (79-48), shots on goal (44-32), high-danger scoring chances (15-9)…heck…just about every category imaginable. Despite the continued absence of captain Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and other key players, our guys skated hard and attacked with speed.
However, we once again had difficulty penetrating the prime scoring areas between the circles, especially when the Blackhawks packed the house and clogged shooting lanes. An all-too-familiar refrain during the Mike Sullivan era. An opponent throws up a stout defense and our quick but undersized forwards are forced to the perimeter. Grit and determination only take you so far. Sometimes only good old-fashioned muscle will do.
As if to emphasize my point, both black-and-gold goals were scored by Jeff Carter. As always, the big guy kept the game simple, using his size and speed to bulldoze his way to the net. Nothing fancy. Straight lines. North and south. Get the puck and shoot.
Lord, how I wish we had two or three more like him. Alas, as is so often the case with our Penguins, fellow big-and-tall skaters Brian Boyle and Drew O’Connor are relegated to spot duty. Radim Zohorna is presently languishing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (perhaps on merit) and Anthony Angello seems to have all but disappeared off the face of the earth. (Seriously, does anyone know what’s happened to him?)
In the meantime? Smurf City as Other Rick is fond of saying. With some variation in style and ability, Evan Rodrigues is Teddy Blueger is Bryan Rust is Jake Guentzel is Jason Zucker is Dominik Simon. Our “heavy” guys Brock McGinn and Zach Aston-Reese ain’t that heavy.
Does that mean everyone needs to be a monster? No. But at least a degree of variation in dimension and attributes would give opponents something different to deal with, instead of same-old-same-old each and every shift.
Granted, players like Carter don’t grow on trees. He’s a rare combination of size, speed and skill. But as the Pens enter the early stages of what’s likely to be a lengthy rebuild, GM Ron Hextall would do well to borrow from the old Broad Street Bullies drafting philosophy. Ergo, if you’re considering two prospects of equal ability, pick the larger, more aggressive one.
Size does matter.
The Goals
Following a scoreless opening frame, the Blackhawks struck at 2:14 of the second period thanks to a coverage gaffe by Mark Friedman. Fixated on the puck, the feisty defender drifted out of position, allowing for an easy backdoor goal by ‘Hawks heavy Jujhar Khaira. Tristan Jarry had no chance. Chicago 1-0.
The ‘Hawks expanded their lead at 15:53 of the period. With Kirby Dach providing a perfect screen, Seth Jones skated to the right faceoff dot and ripped one home off the far post. Again, no faulting Jarry. Chicago 2-0.
The Pens finally nicked old friend Marc-Andre Fleury at 5:34 of the third period. Guentzel whipped the puck goalward from the top of the right circle. Carter drove to the net and deflected the biscuit through Fleury’s five-hole. Chicago 2-1.
Seconds after a huge stop by Jarry on Mike Hardman, the black and gold knotted the score with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. Once again Carter did the honors, rambling to the net to nudge home Guentzel’s pretty cross-ice feed. Tied 2-2.
After staring down a 2-on-0 in overtime, Jarry once again turned into the incredible shrinking goalie in a shootout. While Fleury stoned Guentzel and Kris Letang at the far end of the ice, No. 35 yielded tallies to Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat, sandwiched around a save on Patrick Kane. Spoiling his team’s bid for a second point and dampening an otherwise stellar 30-save performance by Tristan between the pipes.
Great come back by the boys. They never gave up. Just fell a little short in the shoot out. I think that is sign of a team that wants to win and not just ride on someones coat tails.There have been a few Pen’s teams that maybe the team effort was not 100% every night and the team relied to much on it’s super stars.
This is refreshing.
Time for a reality check…There are those who really believe that if we get Geno, Sid, and Kris all back healthy that some way we will be a Cup contender in 2022. I am here to tell you all that will NOT happen. This team has failed to deliver the past 3 years because there were better teams that the Pen’s could NOT beat in PLAY OFF physical hockey.
So the real issue becomes and I never thought Rick I would ever write this question….Come February are the Pen’s buyers or seller’s? That is a question some one higher than my pay grade will have to answer and for the FUTURE of the Penguins franchise, let us all hope the Pen’s brain trust answers that question correctly.
Doing the same thing every year and expecting a different result……you know the rest…
I am on the record as saying lets do a full rebuild and start yesterday. I am afraid we may have waited to long to start that process and missed valuable chances to secure a brighter future.
Cheers and have a great holiday guys.
Jim
Hey Jim,
Good to hear from you. Hope you don’t mind me dropping my 2 cents but the my question isn’t will the Pens be buyers come February. To me that answer is a given. If they had been sellers a couple of years they may have been able to retool rather than rebuild. To me the question is, “Will the team make the hard decision to acknowledge they need to be sellers?” Or are they going to echo Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days”?
As you write, they needed to start this process yesterday!
Shane Wright may be the only kid in the draft that has a chance to step right into the NHL but there are 5 or 6 other kids I would love to get and try and develop. As I wrote earlier, with all of the recent shut downs, after this season, the following several draft classes may be very thread bare. Many of the Kids will have had their development impeded.
If the Pens don’t invest now in their future, it could be a long, long rebuild. Guentzel, Rust, Zucker, Kapanen, Jarry, and even Letang should be considered expendable for 1st round picks in the up coming draft (if you can get them). In Letang’s case, I understand the desire to let him retire a Penguin (I don’t have to agree with it to understand it) but we could always trade him for a pick, if we can get it, and then re sign him in the off season, to a team friendly deal.
Take care.
Hey Coach,
I always want to read what you have to say buddy…We think a lot a like on several issues regarding our beloved Pen’s. 2 cents, 5 cents what ever you want to spend …..haha
Always great to hear from you.
Jim
Hello my friend,
So good to hear from you. I agree 100 percent. The issue this season isn’t whether we’ll win a Cup but whether or not we’ll make the playoffs. Given the strength of the Metro this season and our ridiculous run of injuries and illness, I’m betting we won’t.
Whether or not we’ll be buyers or sellers is a great question. I think on a sentimental level Mario would probably like Malkin and Letang to finish their careers as Penguins. But the hard fiscal reality is, if we’re not making the playoffs (or selling out games) ownership is taking a considerable financial hit. As you pointed out on many occasions, the bottom line is the bottom line. I can’t imagine them paying top dollar to keep aging stars around, no matter how gloriously they’ve served the team in the past.
Whether any of us are ready for it, a rebuild is coming. An ugly and lengthy one I fear. Remember our teams from 2001-06 after Jagr left? I think we’ll be in for a repeat. That’s not saying I don’t have confidence in Hextall. But I think once the tear-down starts, it’s going to take time to rebuild a contending team. Save for maybe one or two guys, tops, we just don’t have any real difference-makers in place among the prospects.
Rick
Very well said Rick. I could not agree MORE with your assessment. I wish we knew for sure that someone in the Pen’s ownership group had the” smarts” to make the tough decisions. I have seen no evidence of that to date. This concerns me ..
Have a great holiday my friend.
Hi Rick!
After the game last night, I went through the game stats and something was wrong with the Pens’ D-men TOI. Friedman and Riikola played 9:52 and 9:45 respectively. Matheson played 25:39, Marino 23:34, POJ 20:47 and Letang 29:56. This is not well-balanced. POJ’s ideal TOI is between 12 and 16 minutes. Samething for Matheson. Marino can take more minutes but not over an extended period of time.
I know that Dumoulin, Ruhwedel, Pettersson are out but I just can’t believe that Letang played 30 minutes, against a team at the bottom of the standings. He’s 34 years old, carries a significant injury history and is not as efficient defensively as he used to be. He is still useful on PPs but is a wee bit slower when he has to backcheck.
The coaching staff is squeezing the lemon way too much (I’m not saying that Letang is a lemon, though!). No wonder Letang has no gas left in the tank during the playoffs.
My 2-cent question for you Rick (and the Other Rick). If Sully lost his job, do you think that GM Ron Hextall would hire Rick Tocchet as HC? Hextall and Tocchet were teammates in Philly, Tocchet knows the system already and I think he would be a good fit for the Pens.
Hi Jorenz,
Great point you make about the “D” TOI and it is similar to what Mike and I were talking about, Sully and the whole staff use way too short of a bench. He and were mainly talking about OT and SOs but as you point out, the coaching staffs over reliance on the same handful of people is systemic throughout the game. The worst part is when it comes to players like Letang and when Sid and Geno come back, them too, they are not as young as they once were so the disproportional TOI eventually wears them down so not only are they exhausted by March and April but their risk of injury goes through the roof (that has to contribute significantly to their injury history. It is well reported in all scientific journals – exhaustion causes a player to be less mindful of where they are and what they are doing and their muscles too tired, increasing their injury risk significantly).
The Pens won their last 2 Cups spreading out the responsibility to everyone, even the kids but now the coaching staff refuses to share the burden. I once admonished an underling of mine, when I was working clinical that “if you can’t trust the people you have hired, you have trained, and you have the authority to remediate or replace the problem is not them, it is you.” This goes to Sully et al as well. If they aren’t using the whole team, kids included, the coaching staff is the problem, not the players.
As much as I would love Sully out (sorry Mike), it is still too early in the season to oust him but I certainly would give Tocchet consideration. However, let’s remember, regardless of who may replace Sully, this team is no longer a true contender and our expectations need to be a little lower. The big guns are not kids anymore and as Jim has pointed out many, many times the farm is seriously depleted.
Hello Jorenz,
So good to hear from you!
Great observation about the Pens’ defense and, in particular, Letang’s work load. To digress, I had Covid last December. And while I was only “sick” for a couple of days, it took forever to get my energy back. I have no idea how Tanger’s doing what he’s doing, or why the coaching staff would tempt fate with such an asset.
Regarding Friedman and Riikola, I guess the sparse usage pretty much says it all. According to “Pittsburgh Hockey Now,” the coaching staff isn’t at all pleased with their play…particularly Riikola’s. I’ve written before that all the physical attributes are there except size…good wheels, heavy shot, nice touch on his passes and surprising physicality. Apparently the issue is between the ears. His decision-making and positioning just aren’t that sound. Whether additional ice time would cure that seems to be a moot point…the coaches have obviously made up their minds about him and it’s not a thumbs-up.
Friedman likewise shows well at times…he’s feisty, can skate and displays good instincts for jumping into the play. But he, too, is a bit erratic and volatile.
The weird thing is, Riikola’s third on the team in 5v5 shot attempts percentage (58.2) and Friedman’s fourth (57.1). But I guess the coaches just don’t trust them…at least not on the same pairing.
Rick
Hey Rick,
I am jumping in here, I am sick to tears with the excuse of blaming the players. It is the coaches job to teach them. If they are failing it is a coaching thing. Fire the coaches and get coaches in here that can teach them. Teaching is part of the definition of Coach.
Hi Rick,
Sorry to hear that you had COVID a few months ago! Hope you are feeling better today.
Thank you, Jorenz.
I’m fine and was only really sick for a couple of days. Mercifully, none of the lung issues so many have experienced. But what really got me was a total lack of energy. I’ve never had mono, but maybe that’s what it was like. It was a chore just to carry my laundry basket upstairs…and under normal circumstances, I do resistance training six days a week and walk at least five or six days a week. But it took weeks…and a vitamin D supplement…for me to fully recover.
If Letang was symptomatic as they say, I can’t begin to fathom how he’s handling the workload he’s taken on. He truly must be a physical marvel.
Anyway, thank you for your concern. I hope all is well with you and your loved ones!
Rick
I’m glad you feel better Rick. All is well here in Canada. Health mesures are still pretty strict here (compared to the US). I also wonder: what does Letang eat to carry such a workload? Spinach like Popeye? ;O)
Hey Mike,
I remember you writing about the SO problem. IN Letang’s and probably Crosby’s and Malkin’s too), Sullivan leans on them so heavily during the game, at their ages, there can’t be a whole lot left in the tank to dazzle in the SO. But your point should be well taken by management. it is well past time to audition for new blood for the SO. Erik Christensen was one of the most prolific SO players in team history (29 g/55 S – 52.7%, 13 GDG) in his Penguin Career but he was hardly a star player. As you said get over the Dumb Loyalty, make decisions in the here and now.
Again, in the case of Zucker, we have the same problem as in the SO, Sully and by extension Reirden go with the same guys to the exclusion of others on the bench. I am not going to retract earlier statements about Zucker, but as you mention, he has speed and more importantly a knack for scoring goals, particularly in Oct and Nov. Instead we gave multiple shifts to Rust, Blueger, and Guentzel, not really letting them rest. Those players may be flying at the start of their first shifts but they couldn’t be all that fast by the end of the 2nd. Why not use all of your fast players who are legitimate NHL goal scores in OT and not just the same 6 guys for 5 minutes? It’s not like those 3 are even as good as Crosby or Malkin are now, let alone what the 2-headed monster was like even 3 years ago.
Hey Rick,
Yesterday, before the game, someone brought up Madden’s complaints against Jarry in SOs, suggesting the Pens opt out and put DeSmith in for the SO – that got me thinking; what are the penguin shooters doing?
Penguin go to shooters aren’t all that good either.
Guentzel led off last game. he does have a good career SO% of 54.6% but his numbers this year aren’t nearly as good (1 for 3)
Letang followed Jake. Legtang’s career SO% is only 33.8% and he is wearing the collar this season. Perhaps it may be time to practice SO attempts and shake up the shooters the team puts out there for the SO rather than the goalie. It doesn’t really matter how good or bad Jarry is until the shooters start scoring too, otherwise we still loose when the goalie finally fails – we still have to score at least 1 more goal than our opponent.
Fla lost to NJD 7 – 3 last night, they will be none to happy Thurs. Things are getting curious er and even more curious er.
Is there a tunnel at the end of the light? or are we getting ready to pick up our lottery ticket for Shane Wright? We are 12th from the bottom of the league right now, that should get us some chance for a golden ticket, Charlie.
If we do find ourselves in that position, grandpa Joe, I do hope we try and deal for some extra 1st round picks for this upcoming draft with some of the dead wood. I am not sure how much the current unpleasantness affected the younger players development.
The Other Rick
I also addressed this issue over a year ago. If we’re so skilled like everyone claims why do we struggle
so much in the Shootouts. First, why not give some other players a chance? A very smart man once
told me theirs something called “Dumb loyalty” and I think it fits with the Pens. Quit rewarding players
for what they’ve done in the past – It’s costing us points.
Also, I’m watching the OT and I’m scratching my head wondering why Zucker is seeing very little ice
time in the OT “are you kidding me” he’s been one of our best wingers to this point and with his speed,
in 3 on 3 situations, he will be a killer. SMH
Hey Mike,
I’m right there with you…Zucker in particular. Incidentally, the only reason I included him in my Smurf list was size. I think he’s played much better this season. He’s been much more involved…even forceful at times…physically. Nobody’s in Brandon Tanev’s league, but Zucker’s impressed me with his willingness to stick his nose in and stir things up. And he really does possess some nice hands…particularly close to the net. Going back to preseason, he’s scored a couple of goal-scorer’s goals.
It sounds like you and Other Rick are seeing the same things I am. It always seems to be the same guys in the same roles, even if it’s not working. Frankly, I was shocked when Reirden actually shook up the lines. I mean, Heinen was leading the team in scoring yet only averaging about 10 minutes of ice time over the past few games.
Another guy I wouldn’t mind getting a crack at the shootout.
Rick
Rick
I totally agree. It just appears to me this team is living in the past. It’s time to give other players
on the team a shot in different situations – that’s the only way they’ll find out what they have
moving forward.
I’m disappointed not only with your player selections in OT but also in the shootout. How
in the world does Jeff Carter not get a crack ahead of Letang “SMH” and in OT we put
Blueger out ahead of Zucker, Heinen, etc…etc… It’s beyond ridiculous.
As for Jarry he’s been decent but I agree with most fans that in the shootouts he’s been
well below average. Go Pen’s
Hey Mike,
I don’t get the Blueger inclusion in OT either; maybe for a face off, but come to the bench ASAP in exchange for a better chance to score (ie Zucker or Heinen)
Rick
Exactly – those were my thoughts as well.